This invention relates to a means for releasing material from a hermetically sealed metal canister/container in a dispenser on an aircraft and, more particularly, the invention is concerned with providing a container having openings therein which are sealed by soldering a metal foil or self alloying material thereover. A braid of the same material connected to each of the sealed openings is caused to be ignited thereby initiating the self-alloying action causing the seals to burn away, simultaneously releasing and igniting the material in the canister.
Numerous attempts have been made to develop techniques for opening containers and releasing their payloads with minimum perturbation and under maximum safety and reliability. Some of these techniques include cardboard wrapped containers with cutters, frangible glass canisters, plastic containers with cutter bands, direct ejection of payload from dispenser and explosive cutting of containers. The major disadvantages of the cardboard and simple plastic type containers employing cutters to open as they are dispensed is that the payload is not hermetically sealed. This results in logistics problems in maintaining moisture-free conditions at high altitudes causing the contents of the containers to freeze thereby preventing satisfactory deployment. In addition, the cutters are normally located at the dispenser opening so that delay times prior to deployment of the payload cannot be readily achieved. Obviously, liquid payloads cannot be dispensed from this type of container.
Frangible glass containers which are a relatively new concept, offer certain advantages such as minimizing debris. However, the uncertainty of the glass breaking during climatic and environmental conditions associated with aircraft applications makes the concept relatively doubtful. The frangible glass is relatively expensive and does not lend itself to high production techniques. Sealing to the glass is generally accomplished by bonding compounds which do not provide the level of sealing achieved in metal to metal seals. Pressurized payloads and pyrophoric payloads are questionable from a safety standpoint when packaged in frangible glass containers. Delay opening of the containers is usually achieved by mechanical components that add to the cost of the package and reduce the payload-to-total volume ratio.
Containers opened by explosive lines present serious logistic problems associated with ground handling safety. Thus, it can be seen that all of the presently known techniques for opening containers and releasing their payloads do have one or more of the various disadvantages and drawbacks noted above.